Postojna (; german: Adelsberg, it, Postumia) is a town in the traditional region of Inner Carniola, from Trieste, in southwestern

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

. It is the seat of the Municipality of Postojna.Postojna municipal site

History

The area is known to have been populated since the

paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός '' palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

era due to the discovery of a cave settlement near the town of Postojna called Betal Rock Shelter (). The town lies on the

Pivka River The Pivka is a karst lost river in Slovenia. The river is in length. The Pivka ends in Planina Cave, where it merges with the Rak River and then the Unica River. The confluence of the Pivka and the Rak is one of the largest subterranean conflue ...

. Written sources first mention the settlement in the 13th century and in 1432 it became a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

. It was proclaimed a town in 1909. From the late Middle Ages, it was part of the Duchy of Carniola and hence of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

. It was under Italian rule between 1918 and 1943 (nominally to 1947) and was part of the

province of Trieste The Province of Trieste ( it, Provincia di Trieste, sl, Tržaška pokrajina; fur, provinzia di Triest) was a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Trieste. It had an area of and it had a ...

as Postumia.

Mass grave

At Postojna there is a mass grave associated with the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The Pine Shaft Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Brezno v borovcih) is southeast of Postojna, between Little Trebevnik Hill () and Big Trebevnik Hill (). It is a steep sinkhole that contains the remains of unidentified victims.

Climate

Attractions

One of Slovenia's major tourist attractions, Postojna Cave, is located near the town.

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the town is dedicated to

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

and belongs to the Koper Diocese. Within the urban area of Postojna, the church dedicated to the

Prophet Daniel Daniel ( Aramaic and he, דָּנִיֵּאל, translit=Dānīyyēʾl, lit=God is my Judge; gr, Δανιήλ, translit=Daniḗl, translit-std=ALA-LC; ) is the main character of the Book of Daniel. According to the Hebrew Bible, Daniel was a n ...

in the hamlet of Zalog and the chapel dedicated to Saint Lazarus at the town

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

also belong to this

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

.Koper Diocese list of churches

References

External links

Postojna municipal site

{{Authority control Populated places in the Municipality of Postojna Cities and towns in Inner Carniola